Cultural and economic effects of health tourism on Sandıklı district: The example of hüdai thermal springs

Health tourism is becoming a sector that develops and gains more importance day by day. The development of health tourism is a phenomenon that directly affects the economic development and cultural change in a region positively. The development of this sector, which brings along socio-cultural and environmental development as well as economic development, primarily affects the people living in the region. These effects are generally positive. In order to achieve a successful and sustainable movement in the development of the health tourism sector, it is necessary to find out how the local people, who are the most affected by the current situation of regional tourism, are affected. The positive or negative perception of the local people about the development of health tourism is the determinant of the support they give to the development of the sector. In this regard, the results of this study may be useful for local people to benefit more from the positive effects of health tourism in terms of increasing the support given to tourism. In this context, the aim of the research is to reveal the cultural and economic effects of health tourism on Sandıklı district. In line with the determined purpose, an interview was conducted on 10 participants residing in Sandıklı and their answers were interpreted. As a result of the interviews, it was concluded that the local people in Sandıklı were positively affected economically and culturally by health tourism.